Shankh mudra is the body markings worn by Lord Vishnu devotees. The body markings are applied with gopichandana or a ball of yellow clay. The clay is rubbed on the palm of the left hand with water to form a watery paste and then applied. The paste is applied curved or straight lines moving upwards (rarely downwards). Shankh mudra is worn two on the left side of the stomach, three on the left chest, one on the left neck, one close to the left eye, two on the left shoulder and on one on the right shoulder. In total ten mudras are associated with Shankh mudra. The benefit of wearing it is that it enables a person to cross the ocean of life without committing sins. Adopting mudra is not mere convention. These markings ward off sins and make a the devotee pure for subsequent rituals and meditations. The religious significance of mudras are explained in Krishnamrita Maharnava, Sadachara Smriti and Tantrasara (samagraha) of Madhvacharya. Some mudras are only followed by the Ma

Construction of the chariots for Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra, or Car Festival, begins on the Akshaya Tritiya Tithi. Each year three new Rathas (chariots) are made for the ceremonial journey of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. The chariot making begins on the on the Grand Road of Puri Jagannath Temple on the third day of the Vaisakh or Baisakh month. The chariots are completed in less than 60 days. Three logs of wood are chosen and special rituals are conducted to mark the beginning of the construction of the chariots. The three chariots used in the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra have specific size and dimensions and are a classic example of indigenous carpentry and engineering. You can find more details about the sizes and other measurements of each chariot in this article – the size and dimensions of the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra chariots. No scales or measuring tapes are used by the carpenters for measurements. Instead the carpenters use their hands and finge

If your house is filled with junk, then as per Hindu astrology it is bad. Rahu and Ketu cause trouble in such homes. Here is what will happen due to junk at home. You will be troubled by enemies. Poisonous animals will cause health damage to family members. There will be no peace in the house. Constant fights among family members. Rahu and Ketu are two planets that cause immense trouble. Junk at home means a lot of negative energy. Rahu and Ketu gets attracted to it. Boxes, cartons, and covers should not be kept in front of the house and in the northeast corner. Today, we find many electronic items being damaged easily. We replace them but keep the damaged one at home and it stays there without any use. Such items attract a lot of negative energy. When there is too much junk at home, it is impossible to clean the house. This means financial damage as Goddess Lakshmi never resides in a house that is unclean. Therefore get rid of the junk and make the house neat and clean

There are numerous factors that make us restless and unsatisfied and chief among them is discontentment and it is threatening the very existence of life on earth. How much food, clothing, books, how much big house and car and salary does a man need? And now, in today’s trends, how many cars, smart phones, gadgets, designer goods and so on does a man need! Objects change their forms and names but ‘needs’ do not. Having more is what is called ‘progress’, generally speaking. To think that one can overcome or decimate one’s desires, whatever be their names, forms and shapes, by fulfilling them is like adding fuel to fire with the hope that it will get extinguished. Unbridled enjoyment only adds to our desires. We get caught and entangled in them more and yet more. There comes a time when we seek to get out of this network of illusion of getting and losing, this endless suffering of being at the mercy of desires. And thus begins our journey of tracing back to ‘where it all s